Tubular knit patterned fabric



March 27, 1962 I N. LEWN s,o26,69s'

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The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to weft knit fabric composed of suture joined areas or portions of fabric having an overplaid design incorporated therein. This application is a division of my prior application Serial No. 608,777, filed September 10, 1956, now Patent No. 2,935,- 863, issued May 10, 1960, for Tubular Knit Patterned Fabric and Method of Knitting Same.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric having an overplaid type of design incorporated therein, the lines of which extend at forward and reverse angles to the Wales, and wherein the lines of the design are generally similar in appearance regardless of the direction in which they extend.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a fabric having an overplaid type of design incorporated therein, the lines of which extend at forward and reverse angles to the wales, and wherein the successively formed courses of the design stitches have at least one wale in common and within which the overplaid yarns form tuck stitches.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative ernbodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel features of the present product, as hcreinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of one side of a solid color stocking of the Argyle type having an overplaid type of design of the present invention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the stitch construction of the overplaid and of the body yarns in a portion of stocking fabric in the area enclosed by the rectangle indicated at 2 in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but related to the rectangle indicated at 3 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the needle' operations at a pair of knitting stations.

The overplaid design is preferably incorporated in circular knit hosiery and is preferably made upon a multifeed machine of the type disclosed in the application of Benjamin Franklin Coile, Serial No. 329,801, filed January 6, 1953, to which reference may be made.

ln the machine of the Coile application, hosiery of the Argyle or Intarsia type having solid color, suture joined, four-section patterns may be reciprocatorily knit by more than one method. One method includes the smultaneous formation of the fabric areas of the four-section patterns whereas a second method includes the smultaneous formation of oppositely disposed pairs of fabric areas of opposite pattern sections. It is With the second method of knitting, shown generally in my Patent No. 2,917,912, issued December 22, 1959, and the present invention are concerned in connection with the incorporation of an overplaid design in the hosiery.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the stocking includes a top 10, a leg portion 11, and the usual foot portion 12. The leg portion is provided with a four-section pattern of diamond Shaped Argyle design of which there are the upper opposite pair of side half diamonds, one of Which is shown at 13; the intermediate opposite pair of side diamonds, one of which is shown at 14; the lower opposite pair of States atent p sections of the four-section pattern.

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side half diamonds, one of which is shown at 15; the front and rear upper pair of diamonds, halves of which are shown at 16 and/17; and the front and rear lower pair of diamonds, halves of which kare shown at 18 and 19. The various diamonds are suture joined along di.- agonally extending suture lines indicated at 20. The diamonds themselves, each of a solid body color, are ornamented with an overplaid design comprising relatively narrow spirally extending lines of stitches 21 of contra-stingly colored yarns, the lines of the overplaid design generally dividing each diamond into a group of four smaller diamonds. The side diamond areas 13, 14 and 15, and the opposite side diamond areas, are disposed in an opposite pair of sections of the four-section pattern, while the front diamond areas 16 and 18 and the rear diamond areas 17 and 19, are disposed in the intervening pair of It will be noted that there is a number of wales common to adjacent pattern sections.

Generally in the invention set forth in Patent No. 2,9l7,9l2, when each pair of oppositely disposed diamonds is simultaneously made at an opposite pair of knitting stations of body yarns, the overplaid design is simultaneously incorporated in the said pair of diamonds at the remaining opposite pair of knitting stations using a pair of overplaid yarns at each of the latter identified stations. With respect to any single diamond made of a body yarn at any one knitting station, its overplaid design is made at the adjoining pair of knitting stations of the overplaid yarn fed to each of them. The selected needles taking the overplaid yarns at each of the said adjoining knitting stations comprise successively adjoining pairs of needles for successive courses of the overplaid design, the selection of the pairs of needles progressing around the needle circle, first in one direction and then in the other direction, to provide the forward and the reversely angled design lines of stitches.

In the present invention, three needles are preferably selected as the number in each group unit to take and knit the overplaid yarns during each knitting stroke thereof, with the leading needle of each group tucking the overplaid yarns to form a tuck stitch in association with the adjacent one of a pair of regular sitches of the design yarn formed on the other two needles of the group. Additionally the needle selection is such that one needle is common to successively adjacent groups of needles, so that in the present instance, one needle is the terminal needle of one group and is also the leading needle of the needle group next adjacent thereto. While each group unit includes three needles, inasmuch as one needle thereof merely tucks the overplaid yarns, the units of the design stitches have the appearance of only two stitches in each of the overplaid design courses.

A representative portion of the overplaid and body yarn stitch construction has been illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, these being portions of the zigzag design line 210 enclosed within the dotted line boxes 2 and 3 of diamondv 14 in FIG. 1. The zigzag line 21a of the overplaid design in the right hand half of diamond 14 represents but half of the entire design for this diamond, there being a left 'hand zigzag design Zlb in the left hand half of the diamond. The two zigzag portions 21a and 21b are substantially iden-tical and it is only necessary to show the stitch construction of one of them. It will be understood that in the other diamonds the por-tions of the design corresponding to the zigzag portions 2111 and 2112 of diamond 14 are of similar construction. It will also be understood, in connection with the diamond 14, if it be made at a knitting station diagrammatically shown at C in FIG. 4, that the zigzag overplaid line Zla will then be made at adjoining knitting station D shown to the right of station 3 C, while the zigzag lines 21b will be made at an adjoining knitting station (not shown) to the left of station C.

In the illustration of FIG. 2, the body yarn stitches of diamond area 14 may be made of a yarn 22 reciprocatorily knit upon the needles N as the latter move to the left and to the right (in a moving cylinder machine) past the knitting station C While the overplaid stitches may be made of a yarn 23 during part of the needle movements past the knitting station D. It Will be noted -that a second yarn 24 is customarily fed at station D, but since this yarn is incorporated in a fabric area made at another knitting station (not shown), it need not be further described. While the body yarn is shown floated across certain Wales in FIG. 2, the formation of these floats by the needles N is not indicated in FIG. 4 in order to simplify the explanation, because the float formation is not in itself a part of the present improvement, and because it is fully described in Patent No. 2,917,9l2.

The course 25 of body yarn 22 will be made as the needles N move to the left past station C during Which the float 26 Will be made in the Wales 27 and 28 behind the previously formed overplaid stitches 29 and 30 of these Wales (but not behind the tuck stitch 31 Which will be formed later). The course 32 is formed of the body yarn 22 as the needles N reverse their travel and move to the right past station C during Which the float 33 Will be made in the Wales 27 and 28 behind the overplaid stitches 29 and 30 but not behind the tuck stitch 31 Which still has not been formed. At this point the needles N Will all have body yarn stitches thereon except the needles of Wales 28 and 27 which Will have the stitches 29 (but not tuck stitch 31) and 30 thereon. This movement back and forth at station C is indicated at level A of FIG. 4, Wherein the knitting wave at each of the stations is schematically shown by the dotted lines 34. The needles N then continue on in their movement to the right to pass station D, as indicated at level B of FIG. 4, during Which movement a group of three needles, 35, 36 and 37, is selected to take the yarn 23, the leading needle 35 rising only to tuck level 38 (where its old loop 29 is not moved below its latch but remains thereon) while the needles 36 and 37 rise to full latch clearing level to shed body yarn stitches, and the remaining needles N are at low non-yarn :taking level. Movement of the needles, so selected, to the right past station D, Will result in needle 35 forming tuck stitch 31 of yarn 23 leading from stitch 29 (tuck stitch 31 will be on needle 35 along With stitch 29), and needles 36 and 37 forming stitches 39 and 40, also of yarn 23, in Wales 41 and 42.

During the return movement of needles N, to the left, past station D, all the needles are idle and no knitting takes place. Then as the needles move to the left past i station C, course 43 of body yarn 22 will be formed,

during which the body yarn will be knit through overplaid stitch 30 in wale 27 and Will be knit through overplaid stitch 29 and overplaid tuck stitch 31 in wale 28, and during Which the body yarn will form a float 44 to the rear of stitches 39 and of Wales 41 and 42 (but not of tuck stitch 45 which will be formed later), the course 43 being formed vsimilarly to the formation of course 25 except for the wale-location of the floats. The course 46 is formed at stations C and D in -a manner similar to the formation of course 32 as the needles N move to the right, the body yarn 22 being knit and forming the float 47 at station C While the yarn 23 is knit on needles 37, 48 and 49 at station D, to form tuck stitch 45 on needle 37 in wale 42 and overplaid stitches 50 and 51 on needles 48 and 49 in Wales 52 and 53. The course 54, and the alternate following courses, are made similarly to courses 25 and 43, While course 55, and the alternate following courses, are made similarly to courses 32 and 46. The next group of three needles will have needle 49 (Which will tuck) as its leading needle, and so on, the terminal needle of one needle group in one course of overplaid knitting becoming the leading tuck needle of the next needle group of the next course.

In FIG. 2, starting With course 25, the overplaid design is angled downwardly from right to left in the same direction as the needles are progressively actuated as they move to the right past stations C and D, this being the same direction in Which the groups of needles, knitting the overplaid, progress along the circle of needles. The design so made is the upper half of the zigzag line 21a, whereas the lower half of the zigzag line 21a is oppositely angled, and a portion of the same, enclosed in the box 3 of FIG. l, is illustrated in FIG. 3.

Generally the fabric of FIG. 3 is formed in a similar manner to that used in the formation of the fabric of FIG. 2, except that the progressive selection of the needle groups along the needle circle at station D is now in the opposite direction, that is, opposite to the direction in Which the individual needles are progressively actuated as they move to the right past the station D. The formation of the body fabric, with its floats, of body yarn 22 at station C is identical with the knitting of the fabric of FIG. 2. At station D, after body course 56 is formed at station C by needles N moving to the right and While the needles continue to move to the right past station D, considering the Wales 42, 52, and 53, FIG. 3, the overplaid yarn 23 is knit on the needles 37, 48 and 49, of which the needle 37 tucks to form the overplaid yarn 1tuck stitch 57 on needle 37 in wale 42 Which Will be retained in the needle hook along With a body stitch of course 56, to form overplaid stitch 58 on needle 48 in wale 52, and to form overplaid stitch 59 on needle 49 in wale 53. The course 60 is then knit, in the manner previously set forth, of body yarn 22 at station C as the needles move to the left. The course 61 is then knit similarly to the manner of forming the course 56, except that now the needles 35, 36, and 37 knit at station D to form the overplaid yarn tuck stitch 62 on needle 35 in wale 28, to form overplaid stitch 63 on needle 36 in wale 41, and to form overplaid stitch 64 on needle 37 in wale 42. lt will be noted that there are relatively long floats 65 of the overplaid yarn 23 extending from the wale of terminal stitch 59, of any one overplaid kntting course, to the wale of leading tuck stitch 62, of the following overplaid knitting course. As knitting continues, the next three needle group Will have needle 35 as its terminal needle, and so on. When Ithe design is angled downwardly and forwardly, the leading tuck needle of one needle group in one course of overplaid knitting becomes the terminal needle of the next needle group for the next course.

Considering FIG. 3, when the overplaid is knit only on successive pairs of needles in successive courses of overplaid knitting, as in Patent No. 2,917,912, that is, no tucking of the yarn in a preceding wale, then the float of yarn 23 Would extend from the wale of a stitch 59 to the wale of a stitch 63, over four Wales, whereas in the present instance the float 6'5 is longer and extends from the wale of a stitch '59 to the wale of a tuck stitch 62, over five Wales. While the float is thus longer, it provides a beneficial result in that the lead of the yarn 23 to a stitch 63 (and to other like stitches of which 58 is an example) is coursewise, as at 66, from a preceding wale, whereas Without the tuck stitch, the lead of this yarn Would be generally Walewise and from the opposite direction from a stitch 59 which would impai'r the appearance of the stitch 63. Thus, With the present invention, the appearance of each pair of overplaid stitches in FIG. 3 is improved and is. substantially like the appearance of each pair of overplaid stitches in FIG. 2. It should be noted in FIG. 2 that the addition of a tuck stitch to a regular stitch, such as 45 to 40, in the same loop formation does not materially alter its basic stitch appearance. In the fabric of FIG. 2, the tuck stitch arrangement also provides that the lead of the overpaid yarn 23 to a stitch 39 (and to other like stitches) is coursewise, as at 67, instead of being walewise from the open end of a preceding stitch 29. ln FIG. 3, the tuck stitch 57 is in loop formation along with a body yarn stitch where it is hidden and does not appearance on the face of the fabric at all, the tuck stitch being placed on a body yarn stitch (instead of on an overplaid yarn stitch as in FIG. 2) due to the direction in which the needle group selection is progressing.

While the present invention has been described in connection with yarns which have been terrned overplaid design yarns, for the reason that the design illustrated is referred to as an overplaid When used on an Argyle stocking, it will be understood that the principle is applicable to design yarns generally, when they are so incorporated at an angle to the Wales in any body fabric. While the overplaid yarns have been shown formed on groups of three needles, it will be understood that the needle groups may each contain a lesser or greater number of needles and that the number of needles in the groups need not be uniform within a fabric area. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the body fabric with floats of the body yarn in association With stitches of the overplaid yarns, however, the present invention is applicable to design yarns which are otherwise incorporated in a body fabric, for example, by plating on the body stitches or by forming extra single yarn stitches of the design yarns without body yarn floats. In the fabric illustrated, there are two courses of body yarn to a single course of the overplaid yarns, and, it will be understood that the present invention is applicable to overplaid stitches which are incorporated in other ways, for example, wherein there is a course of overplaid knitting per course of body yarn, or wherein the stitch structure of the overplaid stitches is arranged differently.

Having thus described my invention in full detail, it Will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various changes and modifications may be made all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l. A weft knit body fabric having courses formed of a body yarn and having stitches of a design yarn incorporated within said courses of said body fabric for a number of courses and extending at an angle to the wales of said body fabric, said design stitches being disposed in adjacent Wales in adjacent courses, the design stitches in each of said courses comprising both regular and tuck stitches of said design yarn.

2. A weft knit body fabric having courses formed of a body yarn and having stitches of a design yarn incorporated within said courses of said body fabric for a number of courses and extending at an angle to the Wales of said body fabric, certain of said design stitches being of regular loop formation and disposed in pairs in adjacent Wales of adjacent courses, each of said pairs of regular design stitches having a tuck stitch of said design yarn associated therewith and disposed in a Wale adjacent thereto.

3. A Weft knit body fabric having courses formed of a body yarn and having stitches of a design yarn incorporated within said courses of said body fabric for a number of courses and extending at forward and reverse angles to the Wales of said body fabric, certain of said design stitches being of regular loop formation and disposed in adjacent Wales of adjacent courses, and tuck stitches of said design yarn associated with said regular design stitches, certain of the tuclc stitches overlying a portion of certain of the regular design stitches With a body yarn stitch draWn through both the regular and the tuck stitches while other of the tuck stitches are spaced from the regular design stitches.

4. A Weft knit body fabric having courses formed of a body yarn and stitches of a design yarn incorporated with said courses of said body fabric for a number of courses so that the design formed thereby extends at an angle to the Wales of said body fabric, certain of said design stitches being of regular loop formation and disposed in pairs thereof in adjoining pairs of Wales of adjoining pairs of courses, and a tuck stitch of said design yarn associated with one stitch of each of said pairs of regular design stitches, each of said tuck stitches being so disposed in the fabric that said design yarn extends generally coursewise between each of said tuck stitches and the regular design stitch with which it is associated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 288,648 Marshall Nov. 20, 1883 1,965,607 Saftlas July 10, 1934 2,45-1,214 Green Oct. 12, 1948 2,696,096 Haddad Dec. 7, 1954 

